


ATTRIBUTES OF SLUMBER.

by bledstars



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Torture, Loss, Memory Loss, robrae - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-09 18:09:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15273306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bledstars/pseuds/bledstars
Summary: “I love you, Rae.” He whispered and she simply pressed her lips against his in response. She never said it back, sometimes she would say I know, sometimes she would just smile and say Me Too. But never those three words, but he didn’t need her to. They had a bond. He knew from the way she put in every emotional through her kiss, how he could feel her heartbeat in sync with his. How full and warm he felt when she held him close and he felt the unspoken words through her breaths and sighs.  She had once told him that what she felt for him couldn’t be contained into those three words.





	1. NIGHTMARES.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is a bit more experimental. And while I plan to make it just three parts, it all depends on how it continues and how my writing works with this sort of plot.

Richard woke up with a fright, sweat dripping off his forehead before he groaned and grabbed a pillow and throwing it across the room. His bright blue eyes stared at the blank wall, and he felt himself wanting to scream. It was itching in the back of his throat, clawing at his tongue like some monster that he couldn’t tame. He knew what day it was, he knew, but his fucking brain didn’t have to remind him every year.

 

 

It wasn’t a nightmare with Slade or another villain that he felt like had slipped through his fingers. It wasn’t a nightmare about his parents falling and falling. It wasn’t about the Joker, it wasn’t even bad at first. It began with a dream, a beautiful dream that mocked him because it was a memory that he cherished and kept hidden in the deep parts of his heart.

He had found his bed empty and got worried until he saw the opened window and knew exactly where she had gone to. He had run up the stairs and what was he was greeted with a vision took his breath away. There she was standing on the rooftop that they had shared with their friends for so many years. Looking peaceful and as she turned to look at him, he could still feel his heart pound against his chest rapidly and it wasn’t because he rushed up here. 

She smiled at him the only way she could, barely there but there. **Just for him.** Her short dark hair blowing through the wind, her pale skin glowing under the moonlight. She wasn’t wearing her usual dark robes, but rather one of his dress shirts.Hands linked behind her back as she looked back up at the sky above her. The softness of her gaze as she moved to look at the horizon, the ghost of a smile on her lips. She looked ethereal. Like a goddess that had come to greet her worshippers, and he’d gladly pray to her and kiss her bare feet. 

“You’re gonna get sick.” Her voice rang as she turned her head and looked back to give him a another small smile. 

“You’re the one wearing only my shirt, which by the way, it’s a great look.” His strides were long and purposeful as he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and let his head fall down to her shoulders. He could still see the faint love bites he left behind on her skin. He was glad she didn’t heal them yet. Pressing his lip against the side of her neck, feeling the way she let out a soft hum, encouraging him as he let his fingers roam and go under the shirt, feeling her soft skin under his fingertips. 

“Couldn’t go out naked, could I?” 

“I mean you could have or you could have stayed in bed with me.” He muttered against her skin before peaking at her through the corner of his eye. God, she was stunning.  

“Well we will call that punishment for not visiting for over a week.” 

“I’m sorry!“ he laughed as he kissed the nape of her neck. “I promise it wasn’t fun for me either. I know it’s gotten harder since I left the Titans but I try my best to visit right, Rae? Come on give me some slack. You could have stayed in bed with me still.”

“I’m kidding. I know you were busy, Richard. I don’t blame you. It’s part of the life of a hero. We all have to make some sacrifices. No, I had remembered that there was supposed to be a small meteor shower tonight. I had planned to watch it and everything and you weren’t gonna come back for another day.”

“So, you were gonna watch the shooting stars alone?” 

“You had just come back from a long trip, Dick. You looked like you needed sleep, especially after what we did.” Was that some coyness in her voice? _Oh, she was going to kill him._ He groaned before he bit down on her shoulder, hearing her hiss through her teeth as she quickly gripped his wrists and dug her nails in. 

“Well I’m awake now.” He whispered before pressing his lips against the side of her neck. “Look, there are your shooting stars now.” His voice was soft against her ear as he pressed his body against hers. “Did you make a wish?” Hand sliding across her skin, drawing little circles and triangles as they roamed around her body while she just melted in his arms. Letting out small sounds of pleasure, so quiet but there. **Just for him.**

“Don’t need one, “ Raven breathed before turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Why because you have me? That’s a bit corny, even for you, Rae.” He teased before peppering her lips with short kisses in between his words. 

“Well, there is that and everything else. My life right now is better than anything I could ever have wished for, ever have dreamt for. I couldn’t be happier than being here with you knowing our friends are safe and sleeping peacefully. There is nothing better than what I have right now.”

“I love you, Rae.” He whispered and she simply pressed her lips against his in response. She never said it back, sometimes she would say I know, sometimes she would just smile and say Me Too. But never those three words, but **he didn’t need her to.** They had a bond **.** He knew from the way she put in every emotional through her kiss, how he could feel her heartbeat in sync with his. How full and warm he felt when she held him close and he felt the unspoken words through her breaths and sighs.She had once told him that what she felt for him couldn’t be contained into those three words.

 

 

 

Then the dream shattered into the memory that haunted him, made him scream in agony. It flashed to a battle, Titans groaning in pain as they fell. Melchior had escaped from his imprisoned book. Taking on his human form as he mocked the Titans watching them fall one by one by his dark magic. But his eyes were only on the woman that imprisoned him, a being so powerful that he desired her. He had spent years plotting on a way to get out and to take her for himself. _Two dark souls meant to intertwine,_ he said with a dark laugh. 

Or he could just kill everyone around her until she had no one. Until the only choice was him. Either way, it would be fun for him. She had turned to him with anger before she stared back at her teammates, they were going to get hurt if this continued. There was no other choice. She would go to him, but not to join him. No, never that. She would rather die than join him. So that’s what she chose, and she was going to take him down with her. She prepared herself to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her teammates, her friends, the only family she ever knew. She prepared to make the final choice to save him. 

He had hissed as he tried to get up from the ground. He could feel the broken ribs, the pain shooting throughout his body. Leaning against his bo staff, ready to fight the Melchior. Then he saw her, running towards him battered and bruised like the rest of them. She put both hands on his cheeks and pressed her lips against his. Her blue eyes looking at him with the softest gaze, while he just looked confused. Her magic had already began slowly healing his bones, maybe this was a plan? Maybe this was her plan so they could fight together. 

**“I love you, Richard.”** She whispered as she pulled away from him. And that’s when he knew something was wrong. Pulling away and creating a wall between her and the rest of her teammates before he could hold her back. Before he could grab her and stop her from leaving him. _This was just like last time, when she chose to become the portal_ he screamed as he hit the wall, he could hear his friends slowly getting up, slowly realizing what was happening as their friend floated away. Melchior with his demented smile, had his hand outreached as if everything was going according to plan.

“Raven! Raven! No!” He screamed over and over again, punching at the wall as she grabbed both of his hands and her entire body encased in magic. That was when Melchior knew he made a grave mistake. Trembling in front of the daughter of Trigon, he could feel her anger, she was destroying him. 

Chanting the familiar words, _azarath metrion zinthos,_ over and over again. Ignoring the screams of her friends, begging her to stop. Begging her not to do this, not to leave them. She had turned around to look at them, with the softest smile, as if to tell them _it was okay_. That she wasn’t scared. **That this was for the best.** And with a final scream of the incantation, they were both gone. Melchior’s dying scream a mere echo to the ones leaving the lips of the Titans and their former leader. 

He had screamed her name even when it was all over. Running as best he could to the empty space, the rubble, trying to pull stone after stone. Desperate to see her, desperate to know that they didn’t just lose her before their eyes. Everyone was doing the same, screaming her name, telling her to come out of hiding. Praying that this wasn’t real. 

He had gone from hell and back to find her. To save her and this was the thanks he got? He didn’t save her from hell to just see her sacrifice her life again, for them. She always did this. Always put the world on her shoulders, always playing the lamb ready for slaughter. Whether it be for her demon father or another demon, she was ready to put her life on the line because hers couldn’t possibly be worth as much as their’s. Because she was always going to be ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice because that was what she was born to do. 

But there was nothing but the remains of her cloak. The torn up blue hood in all the rubble. Holding it to his chest, a gut wrenching scream that broke through his lips. There was no pathway to hell for him to find her. There was no other dimension where he would find her. There was nothing, she wasn’t lost, she didn’t just leave them. **She was gone.** He knew it from the way the bond that they shared seemed to have snapped, and he could feel the last bit of her magic vanish from the world. He couldn’t feel the faint protective glow in his head anymore. Protecting her friends was her final wish and she did it.

But it didn’t get rid of the wretched feeling that he couldn’t do anything, again. He couldn’t do anything as Robin the first time it happened. He couldn’t do anything as Nightwing when it happened again. He couldn’t do anything as Richard to the very end. He couldn't do anything to stop her, to protect her, to save her. And because of that he wouldn’t get to see her again, to whisper something in her ear when no one was looking. He’d never see her smile over her book as they read together on a lazy Sunday afternoon. He’d never get to hear her laugh as he would try to tear the book away from her hands, and how she’d chase him around the living room trying to get it back. He would never be able to kiss her.He would never be able to say I love you to her again. For the first time, he could never say it back. She had the last word and he couldn’t stop her. He screamed in agony, he screamed and screamed as he begged for her to comeback. 

Richard screamed as he held the cloak close to his chest, wishing it was her. Wishing that this empty feeling he had in his chest would go away. That this feeling of being ripped apart went away. Every memory he had with her being the last remaining thing and yet all he can remember is the echo of her last words to him. He hated her for that. He hated that she didn’t give him a chance to say it back. He hated that she had made the ultimate choice. He hated that she was gone. He wanted to call her selfish, selfish for choosing without letting him have a chance to fight with her. He wanted to call her selfish, but they were all alive because of her, because of her love for them. He was her because of her, but he was alone.

 

 

 

Grabbing a bottle of water from his fridge, he chugged the cold liquid as he leaned against his fridge. His chest heaving as he tried to forget the damn nightmare. It’s been five years since that day and he had tried to move on. He lied to himself that he had moved on. But as he stared at his reflection through the mirror, he knew he was far from over her death. He knew soon enough like clockwork, his friends would call him to distract him from this day. He knew that Bruce would call him. He knew that Kori would say that during this day of sadness, there was nothing better than being with friends. But he’d rather be alone. He’d rather be alone and try his best to remember her. To remember the way she smiled, to remember the way she laughed, to remember the way she felt in his arms. 

He could go out on patrol, maybe he’ll catch someone. Maybe he could get his anger out by punching a bad guy. His brain felt fried, it felt cloudy and numb. Sighing, he threw the bottle into the recycling before he fell back on top of his bed. Far too big for just him and looked at the side where she preferred to sleep. A part of him wished he never met her, never became her friend, never fell in love with her. But that part was quickly squashed with the warm memories of the times she was just there to listen to him. Of the way she’d brush her fingers through his hair as he had trouble sleeping. With the memories of the way she arched her back when she finally peaked and breathed heavily under him, looking at him afterwards with a glow and a smile that was just for him. 

“I miss you.”He whispered to the air as he tried to sleep again. He would need it cause knowing his friends, they’d drag him to her tombstone. They did it because they loved them both. They did because he needed someone to, otherwise he’d probably never visit her grave. He was still angry with the choice she made. He was still upset over the fact that she left him. 

 

 

 

“Come on, Dick.” His speedster best friend said as he put an arm around his shoulder. They had just finished putting fresh flowers and cleaning her grave. Kori had brought all of Raven’s favorite snacks. They even shared some of their favorite stories about the empath. 

For Victor it was when he found her working on his car when he was injured after a bad mission. How he laughed at the way she looked at him, big doe eyes, oil stains all over her clothes, but his car was fixed. And when he asked her why she did it, she said that she could at least fix this. She couldn’t properly heal him and how upset that made her because she hated seeing him in pain and how if she couldn’t heal his body, the least she could do is fix up his car. 

For Garfield, it was still when he slipped into Nevermore by accident. Victor shook his head at the shared memory with a sad smile. He chose this particular story because he finally understood how much it took to be Raven. How he couldn’t understand the way she always hid all her emotions away, how he thought it meant that she didn’t feel anything. But in reality, she felt everything. She felt everything to such an extreme that she had to hide it to protect everyone. He remembered how guilty he felt for calling her an unemotional freak when in reality, she probably felt more than any of them. 

Kori in between her sobs and tears started speaking about the time they switched bodies but then began crying too hard to continue. She apologized over and over again and it wasn’t untilRoy put a warm hand over hers did she finally take a deep inhale and continued. How, like Garfield she couldn’t understand how Raven controlled her powers so perfectly without noticing every emotion around her. She took in everyone’s emotional state and still had to be calm in order for her to continue being a hero.

Everyone had shared but knew that when they finally landed on the man that loved her most of all, there was a collective silence.Knowing from the way he just stared at the sky above them, that it was best to end it there. The way his eyes clouded over as he stared at her tombstone and placed the roses her brought for her on top, that he still loved her. 

“Yeah.” He whispered as he walked with the group of Titans through the city. Reliving memories of date nights there, a couple of fights where they both lived over there. This entire city was filled with her ghost and he couldn’t help but hate everything about it. None of the older Titans could bare to stay here, so they gave the responsibility to the next team. Richard went to Bludhaven and then to Gotham. For Garfield it was working with the Team around the world. Kori was heading her own team in the North while Victor was finally in the League. Life was moving on, they were moving on, and they had to leave this city. Wally and Roy were also on the Team with Garfield, they had asked for Richard to join them. That it’d be nice for him to be on the Team. But he simply shook his head, he was better off alone.

It was so quiet here, so peaceful. As if there was never an epic fight that ended with a fallen Titan. The city didn’t even remember Raven, she wasn’t as showy as the rest of the Titans. She was always the quieter one, the quiet guardian of this city, and yet she still gave her last breath to it. Because she was a hero. 

There was an explosion then screams that soon got their attention.Snapping them back to who they were, everyone was in battle positions, quickly getting into uniform, slipping on their masks and running towards the scene of the crime. A building on fire. 

“Get them out of here!” Richard lead the team to grabbing as many civilians while Victor helped try to contain the fire. Wally and Garfield were best at zooming through and trying to grab as many civilians to get them outside of range. Kori flew up to the air and through star bolts to try to destroy the falling rubble.

“There are reports of a gas leak!” The Titans heard the officers in charge and as they were helping the evacuation. “The building is going to explode!” They yelled as the Titans did their best to stop the fire from spreading and working to save as many as they could as quickly as they could. They would have to deal wit the fallout of an exploding building which meant that they had to work double time. Roy had already started evacuating the block with Kori.

“Someone just ran in there!” A woman screamed as she was being held back by the police. “I said that my child was still in there and they just ran!” 

“What sort of idiot?” Wally breathed heavily as he got ready to run in there and save the child and the stupid hero wannabe until he saw a shadow crash through the window, holding an toddler in their arms. They were in dirty old hoodie, damaged jeans, but they were both alive and the hooded hero quickly dropped the toddler in the arms of the grateful mother.Only he and Garfield who can outrun the explosion were now in the circle as they tried to look for civilians as Wally rushed the mother out to safety and when Garfield was about to grab the mysterious hero, they had quickly rushed back towards the building that was going to explode. 

“Are you kidding me?! Get them out—” Victor yelled before his eyes widened. The hero had lifted their hands and right when the building was about to explode a familiar black glow surrounded it. Containing it into a sphere to reduce the amount of damage as the hooded figure held her hands out, trembling as she tried her best to fight against the explosion. 

Richard had been too busy trying to save civilian lives to notice the small hum in the back of his head. As if greeting him after a long and dark night,kissing him awake. His head turning quickly to see the black magic that left the hero’s hands, his heart racing. He felt his breath catch at the back of his throat because there was only one person who could do this. 

“Is that—” Kori whispered as she flew down with her friends, knowing that they should still stay out of range. Roy put a hand on Richard’s shoulder as if to stop him from running towards the hero.

And as the final minute passed, the exploding building now nothing but rubble, did the hooded hero collapse to their knees. Exhausted as their hands glowed a faint black before disappearing all together.

Before anyone could stop, before she could stop him, he began running. He ran and ran because there she was, shoulder slumped in some disgusting old hoodie but she was there. She was here. She was really alive, and as if she knew, her head whipped back to look at the masked hero approaching her.

The bond that they shared sparking back to life after being dormant for five years. As if piece by piece, the bridge was remade and he stared at her with wonder. He couldn’t believe this was real. **That she was really here.** Looking up at him with those big blue eyes, her hair was much longer now, tied up in a messy fishtail braid that fell against the side of her face. She was alive. She was alive. **She was alive!**

“Raven? Is that really you?” He breathed, his voice warm as he reached out and offered out his hand. But she simply stared at him momentarily, before her brows furrowed and she shifted her feet backwards and backed away from him. Richard felt his heart drop. “Rae?” 

“Whose Raven?” A broken voice cracked as she coughed into her sleeve as she saw the other Titans approach her slowly. Looking at her like she was a ghost, because she was in their eyes. They had just finished grieving over her again. Today was the day she died and yet here she was in front of them.

“Raven. It’s us. Your friends.” Kori tried with a soft smile, eyes brimming with tears as she saw her best friend in front of her. This was a gift from the gods. A miracle, a second chance. 

“I don’t know you.” Voice cracking again, as she quickly got up to her feet and began backing away from the approaching heroes. “I don’t know any of you so how the hell are you my friends.” She hissed through her teeth. 

“Rae? We’re your friends, come on. You must remember us a little.” Garfield whispered quietly as he quickly shifted into some of Raven’s favorite animals. “Remember?” 

Roy’s eyes were on Richard. The man who loved her,who was only a few feet away from her. The one that looked at her scared as if she’d vanish into thin air again. He looked like he was processing all of this. No one came back from the dead, not without a reason, not without a cost. 

“Go away.” She whispered weakly, like she was a child. As she wrapped her arms around her torso and winced at the pain in her ankle. She must have landed on it wrong. Richard noted quietly as she limped away. “I don’t remember you. I don’t know you.” She whispered over and over again, even though her mind screamed at her saying to stay put. Even though her heart told her that she was meant to be here, she still walked and they slowly approached her. **This was their friend. This was Raven.**

 

 

It was the screech of tires that took some of their attention away from her. Nightwing however had took another small step towards her. He could hear his heartbeat, he could feel it, he knew it was her. Their bond was still there. She was Raven, alive in front of him. Five years without her thinking she was gone for good, and she came back. She was here. 

“Her energy signature was just here!” A man’s voice yelled as several teams began turning people’s shoulders. 

“The asset is here! No one gets to leave the perimeters!” 

“Have you seen a girl here? With black purple-“ 

“I see her!” Another yelled as they pointed at the hooded girl that was surrounded by heroes, their jaws tightening at the sight. 

“ **Eve**!” One of them yelled at her angrily. 

“ **That’s not my name**!” She screamed back at them, eyes glowing as she held her hoodie tightly and backed away even faster. 

Why did they call her Eve? She was scared, that was what Richard knew. He could tell by the way she breathed sharply and her breath became shallow. His friends now protectively surrounding the two of them, he looked back at the group of strangers angrily. 

_What have they done to her? Why did they call her Eve?_

“Eve! Come! That’s an order!” One of the women spoke as she approached them with a man. 

“Stay away!” Powers flaring out, she trembled in fear as she looked at the Titans, looked at Richard with an expression he had never seen before. She was more than scared, she was petrified, she was—

Then she screamed. And it made him sick to his stomach, How the high pitch scream left Raven’s lips as her body clenched and she began clawing at the sides of neck. Nails digging into her neck as she tried to claw out whatever was hurting her.Her eyes widening as her nails drew blood, but she kept clawing at her skin. Her skin was bleeding as she spasmed to stop the pain. Scream after scream leaving her, making everyone’s stomach churn. Even the few civilians who stayed behind, who saw the woman that had helped save them, when they saw her scream out in pain, they felt sick. 

“Stop! You’re hurting her!” Garfield snarled as Richard ran to her side, grabbing her wrists. He noticed that her forearm was roughly bandaged, a fresh scar. What have they done to her? As he tried to stop her from hurting herself any further. The rest of her Titans were ready to attack whoever was hurting her, Kori already floating, angry at whoever was hurting her friend, ready to destroy whatever device that the man beside the woman was holding. 

“Stop hurting our friend!” 

“She’s our asset.” the woman said with a growl. “Our property. Our responsibility. She took out her tracker back in Gotham.” There was a tracker in her arm, that would explain the fresh wound. “We don’t know how she transported herself here but she’s an asset that’s been missing for two weeks!” 

“She’s not anyone’s property” Richard roared as Wally quickly took hold of Raven’s clawing hands and Richard saw the two nodules on the side of her neck. A micro-shock collar. “Rae. Rae. We’re going to try to get them off. Please stop hurting yourself.” 

“Don’t think so! That’s the only way she’s tamed.” 

“She’s not an animal!” Cyborg hissed his cannon in position to blast them to kingdom come. 

“Lower your arm, Cyborg.” Superman said as he floated down with Wonder Woman and J’onn. “They are part of GENESIS. A government sponsored laboratory.” His voice was solemn as he put a hand on the newest member of the the League. And the moment he heard the name, Cyborg gritted his teeth as he lowered his weapon. This was far beyond just having their friend back. “You can stop the shocks now, we will help you.” Superman’s voice dark as he glared at the group. A quiet nod from the woman in charge and the shocks stopped and quickly Raven slumped into Nightwing’s arms. Twitching and trying to catch her breath, as if she was being choked this entire time.

“Rae. _Raven_.” Richard asked softly, worried as he saw the way she choked towards her next breath and as she looked at him tiredly. What have they done to her? He thought as he saw the scars all around her body, all the bruises, how thin she looked. “It’s me. It’s me, Richard.” He whispered his name to her, foreheads touching as he forced down the choked sob. She was alive but at what cost. “I thought I lost you for good. I can’t lose you again. I won’t lose you again Raven. I won’t let them take you. You’re home.” He whispered as he gently pressed his lips against her forehead. “ **I’m here,Rae.** ” 

“ _H-Help._ Me.” Choked sounds leaving her lips as if she was trying to say something. And he felt his heart break as he saw the way she barely strung two words together. They did this to her, they hurt her.

“Nightwing. They have to take her.”J’onn said with a solemn voice, regret lacing it. Richard knew that he didn’t want to give Raven back to whoever they were, but to even say those words to him. 

“No!” He yelled holding Raven’s body close to him as he glared at the group that had come. “They aren’t coming near her. They are taking these shit things off her neck and leaving her with us!” 

“I’m sorry, Nightwing.” Wonder Woman’s voice was soft as she took Raven in her arms and Superman held his arms down. There were several other heroes that were stopping the other Titans from doing anything as Wonder Woman carried their friend up with plans to take it the people that had been hurting her moments ago.

“No! No! Don’t do this! Don’t let them have her.” 

“Stop. You will be taken in for treason if you continue this, we will explain everything later. Just—she needs to go with them for now.” 

“No! Raven! Raven!” 

She looked so tired, so weak in Wonder Woman’s arms. But she still looked at him, and she saw his fear. She saw his pain. She felt it. Hand weakly reaching out, trying to grab his. “ _Robin_.” She whispered and he felt the world freeze as he stared at her, desperate to have her back in his arms. Where she was safe. Where she wasn’t in pain. Where she was with him. 

Once one of the scientists got close, they brought a syringe to Raven and sedated her before placing her on the stretcher they brought. Restraining her as another man gave Wonder Woman a small nod. “We thank you for your help.” He said as Wonder Woman’s fists clenched tightly, jaw tight as she just gave one of their own to the enemy. They had quickly got into their helicopter with Raven unconscious in the bed as Richard screamed and tried to pull out Superman’s grip. 

** He was losing her again. **

 

 

 

“What the fuck was that?” He finally screamed at Batman as he threw the chair to the side. His friends following behind him as they got the League headquarters equally angry at the League helping this _GENESIS_ in taking Raven away from them again.“Why did you just let them take her! We are supposed to be protecting people, we are supposed to be protecting our own!” 

“GENESIS is a government agency gone rogue, Nightwing.” His mentor’s voice was steady and he hated it. He hated how this was all a mission, this was all part of an elaborate plan. He didn’t care. The woman he loved was in some sort of lab being tested on and she was in pain. They were hurting her and they willingly gave her back to her torturers. 

“So, why did you stop me from protecting her!”

“We are trying to take them down. But we need more time. We don’t even know where their headquarters are.” 

And that’s when Nightwing punched Batman in the jaw, a collective gasp from several of teammates before Roy and Wally rushed to hold back Nightwing from doing anything else. 

“You. Are. Using. Her. As. Bait?!” He yelled each word as he looked at his mentor angrily, fuming with so much frustration. He was more than angry, he felt like he was burning up. 

“They have taken others in. Saying they were found but there were reports—They test on Metahumans. According to our records they-“ Wonder Woman tried to explain to the rest of the Titans who still didn’t understand. 

“That was our friend! Our friend who had sacrificed her life to protect us. To protect this world! And you gave her back to an evil organization!?” Kori screamed back at the heroine, anger was not even close to what she was feeling. “That is not what heroes do!”

“It is when we have more than one to save. They’ve taken Más y Menos too. They were a group that was started to study meta-humans, they have gone rogue since their leader has changed. They still go under the guise of a simple government agency, getting funding. But—they no longer wish to understand how the genetics work. They want to make weapons.” Cyborg said, not realizing that Raven, someone he considered a little sister, was taken by the monsters he had been trying to stop since he joined the League. 

“How do they have Raven?” Roy asked with a glare. 

“We don’t know. But we know that is the real Raven. Not a clone.” J’onn responded. 

“I know it's her! That's why I didn't want her to be taken away from me! Our bond, it was like a lightbulb. It’s her. It’s Raven and you let them take her away!” Nightwing was still angry as he shrugged off his friends and glared at the League that had let her be taken away from him again. “So, what’s the next step? Hmn? Wait until they take another person? Wait until she is able to escape again? How the hell are we gonna save Raven, Batman!” 

“Wonder Woman inserted a tracking device into her before she gave her back to GENESIS.” 

Nightwing’s jaw tightened as how the League was just using her as bait, as a means to an end. But he had to think of the mission. Her rescue mission. He was going to save her this time. He was going to make sure that agency burns to the ground. “So, when are we saving her.” He asked darkly, fists clenched, determined to complete this mission as soon as possible. 

“Soon. I promise, Nightwing. She’ll come back home soon.”


	2. SLEEP PARALYSIS.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person is almost entirely immobile as their body is moving into its waking state. Effectively, the brain wakes up while the body is still asleep. Many describe it as a feeling of “waking up dead”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that it has been a while since I last updated this story but I haven't forgotten about it. I have been working on it when I have time. Thank you for all the comments and interest everyone has on this fic, I really enjoy writing Raven and I plan to write more stories with her but this story was just so different from what I had previously planned out. For those wondering if Genesis and the League had a deeper affiliation and while that would be an interesting plot ( and maybe I would explore it or develop Genesis as a villain organization) this story would be much longer than the three chapters I had planned for it. Maybe I would continue this a series but as of right now, I don't have big plans on developing Genesis' and the League's involvement with them. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**She was twenty three when she died.**

Raven was never afraid to die. She never took for granted how each year she lived before and after becoming the portal was a gift. She was always ready to die, always ready to put her life on the line for others because she knew that her time was limited. Her time was borrowed even when she came back to save the world, even when Robin had found her in the pits of hell, she knew that her life was limited. 

But she selfishly chose to live her life without telling anyone that. She selfishly chose to become friends with the Titans. To fall in love with Richard. To give them hope for a future that she knew deep down, would never be real. She selfishly pretended as if she wasn't a ticking time bomb. Why? Because she desperately wanted it to be true. Because she wanted to be able to think far into the future without consequence. She wanted a future with him. She wanted to be able to believe that maybe just maybe, she could have a happy ending. 

But just because she wasn't afraid to die, didn't mean that she didn't completely love every minute of her life. She had met the Titans when she was just fourteen and they gave her nine wonderful years. nine years that were filled with memories that she treasured. Memories of fighting along side them. Memories of fighting with them. Memories of quiet nights with just a book on her lap as she watched her friends talk happily around her to parties that were sometimes overwhelming emotionally but still, they were all there, safe and happy. 

Every birthday after her sixteenth was celebrated with glee. Another year she got to spend with her friends, her family, the ones she knew that one day she will give her life for. She was born a martyr. She was born to die but because of her friends, because of her teammates, because of Richard, she was able to finally live. 

So, as she gripped the warlock's hands, ignoring the cries of friends as she poured in every last bit of energy, her life into this last spell, she wasn't afraid. She could hear Richard's screams and she had shut her eyes for the first time in pain. This was the only way. This was the only way to protect them. She was willing to pay the price. Even if that meant breaking the bond between the two of them. 

Death couldn't be nearly as painful as breaking their bond. To make sure that she didn't steal from his life. To break that, to break something so precious, was breaking her heart. But she did it, she broke the bridge between their minds as she saw it shatter in her mind. Like a strong stone bridge collapsing, she watched it fall into the darkness, and for the first time in almost ten years, she couldn't feel his warm presence in the back of her mind. She was alone. 

And with the last chant, she knew that she had ended the magician's life and with that hers. She could feel her own body starting to vanish into the air. Slowly vanishing from this earth as if she was never here.She no longer felt the weight on her chest, a reminder that she was on borrowed time. She could breathe again even if it was her last. Looking over her shoulder, taking a final look at everyone she loved, Raven knew she made the right choice. They were worth far more than her life. She could die with a smile on her lips. 

 

 

She woke up in a white room with a start, half expecting it to be hell. It would have suited her better. But no, it was more peaceful, something like purgatory. 

"You shouldn't be here, Daughter of Trigon." She heard the familiar voice of Azar speak. 

"So, where's the station to go to hell." 

"You shouldn't be dead." The voice wasn't soft, it wasn't loud. It just was. Reprimanding her like she was a child, but also a layer of concern. Raven didn't know what to think instead, she wandered around the empty space. 

"Well I am." Getting to her feet, she let mind roam to the eight years of memories that she didn't mind simply remembering. She had lived such a wonderful twenty two years. She could be happy with this much. 

"You have more to do." 

"I did enough." Sighing, she didn't want to regret her choice, she didn't regret it. She protected the ones she loved the most. She lived a full life with friends, with love, she didn't want to regret leaving them behind. 

"No, Daughter of mine will perish because of a lowly magician much less to save an pathetic race like the humans she died for."The roar of her father, appeared in front of her. Four red eyes staring at her behind the hood. Rage, anger, disappointment. And yet, she couldn't help but feel proud. She was glad she was dead.

"And yet here I am." 

"Not for long." He hissed as he grabbed her arms tightly. She could feel the burn, the pain, she wasn't suppose to feel anything here. That was the point of dying, no more pain, just nothing. 

"What are you doing?!" Panic rising as she looked up at the demon she called father. 

"Sending you back. I refuse to let my legacy die because my daughter lost to a pathetic mage. If you are to die it is by my hand and by my order." 

"No. No! I wanted to die! This was my choice!” 

"Insolent child." He hissed before he cocked his head to the side. "Maybe by sealing away those emotions that hold you back, those memories, then maybe you shall finally be a proper child of mine. Those Titans. Those so-called friends of yours always held you back, daughter." 

"No! No! Please don't!" 

She could see her own emotions fly out of her, love, anger, happiness, fear, looking at their host, looking at the woman that had carefully given them each something special losing something so dear. 

And with a final scream, she saw nothing, felt nothing, but knew in her heart that something very important was missing. She could feel nothing as she racked her mind, her own emotions unable to speak and show the memories that she treasured so dearly. 

Death would have been preferable. 

 

 

 

"She's was just a child when we found her. Her genetic makeup has changed completely. From six years old to ten? In a less than six months? How is this even possible?" 

"Accelerated Aging." 

Distant voices that kept talking to her like a child as she sat in the cushioned room. Broken toys everywhere as they whispered among themselves. She had gotten accustomed to silently taking it all in, every note, every thought, but she never responded. She hardly spoke, they knew that she knew many languages, which was fascinating in itself but she didn't remember how she got to that cove, what her name was, so they simply took her in.

"Do you think it's because of the energy signature that was around the area we found her in?" 

"I think she was the energy signature." 

"That would mean…how is that possible? To have that much power would-" 

"Eve?" One of the female doctors said as she leaned down, getting to eye level of the young girl. "Eve?" 

"That's not my name." A tiny voice rang as she stared at the broken electronic in front of her, hands playing with the wires quietly. 

"Well that's the name we gave you, remember, sweetheart?" The young girl's nose wrinkled at the pet name, she didn't like it very much. "What happened to your toys?" 

"I broke them. I had a bad dream and I broke them." 

"What do you mean by that, Eve?" 

Another pause. She hated that name. It wasn't her name and they insisted on calling her that. But it wasn't like she could be called anything else, she didn't even remember her own name to begin with. She didn't remember where she came from. She just remembered that she was very lonely. "I broke them." 

"How did you break them?" 

A simple black glow surrounded the electronic in front of her, quick shuffling from the other doctors as they backed away from the girl whose eyes glowed white before her fist closed and the electronic shattering in front of her. "Like that." 

"You are a wonderful child, aren't you, Eve?" 

"That's not my name."

 

 

 

After that, her life became a living hell. She would have rather been dead than be the subject of all of the experiments they put her through. _Do this, Eve. Do that, Eve. Charge this, Eve. Break this, Eve._ Needles after needles being put into her body, drawing blood, locking her up for longer periods of time. 

Restraining her when she had nightmares had become the norm. When she refused to eat, an IV was put in her arm,and a plastic tube was shoved into her mouth as she was force fed whatever they decided she needed for the day. She was their Eve. Her body belonged to them, her abilities belonged to them. She was their tool, their weapon, their Eve. 

They learned that her emotions were key to her abilities. They learned that one of her more powerful emotions were her anger, but that was uncontrollable. Her fear, however, was something they could use. They triggered that with a shot and with the hallucinations she saw, her power was extraordinary. Unparalleled as she panicked and gasped for breath in the corner, while her powers swirled around her. 

She stopped aging quickly after year two, stopping at twenty three and now progressing at a normal rate. And her powers were always something that Genesis found fascinating. They also found that she was more rebellious. More keen on trying to escape, more keen on trying to leave, screaming at them to stop the experiments. 

And no matter how much she screamed at them to get away. No matter how many times she threw whatever item she could. No matter how many times she threw them against the wall, how many times she begged them to stop. It never stopped. 

They had added the nodules and the tracker in her arm in year four. That was the only way to keep her stable, to keep her safe, as they rationalized when they shocked her as she had her hand ready to attack them or when she wasn't cooperating. 

It was year five when she started having dreams. Dreams that included a voice that was so soft, that promise to always catch her when she fell. That gave her hope that there was something beautiful outside of Genesis. Dreams that brought tears to her eyes as she was woken up, angry at whoever woke her up. She kept lashing out more as she grew older. And the shocks became more stronger, the punishments for not being a good Eve more prevalent.

She was twenty six when she made her escape again. She had a terrible dream, of screams, of silhouettes falling, but there was one particular voice that broke her heart.A voice of a man that begged her not to leave, that told her to not make this choice. To let him help her. 

Then there was nothing again, standing in a white room with only a cage in the middle of it. Approaching it quietly, her footsteps echoing, there was a bird. A black bird that stood in the middle of it with the most red eyes she had ever seen. She felt like she should be afraid of it, but instead, she approached the animal. It stared at her and stared at her before it spread it's wings and with a single cry, she woke up. But she was no longer in the facilities she was housed in for the last five years. She was in a new city with loud sirens going off, she then felt it. Like a wave of fear, of malicious emotions that swept her, making her stumble in the alleyway she was in. Gripping at the wall tightly. It was overwhelming and it made her sick to her stomach. _She felt too much._

"What do we have here?" A voice full of evil intent spoke from behind her. 

"I think she's one of those crazies from Arkham. I mean look at those clothes!" A cackle left another man's lips as she heard the way he scratched the brick wall with a sharp knife. Raven stared down at her clothes, they were a pair of pink hospital pants and a thin matching top.Her feet were bare and she probably did look mad with the way she was gripping her hair. Trying to block the overstimulating city that surrounded her. "But she is a pretty one, isn't she?" 

"We can have some fun here." A slimy voice and she could feel the emotion leaving each of the two men behind her. **Lust.** A feeling that made her sick to her stomach as their footsteps approached her. And as one of the gripped her arm, and it was reactionary. She could feel her powers flare out,protecting her, eyes glowing white. The man with the knife began rushing towards her, ready to kill the woman who had thrown his comrade to the wall. But she quickly grabbed his wrist and like muscle memory, she threw him down with her powers and for the first time in five years, she was grateful for these abilities. Grabbing hold of the knife that was once in his hand, she held it out to his partner.

"Give me your jacket." She hissed at the man that was slowly coming back. "Now!" She yelled, powers flaring out before he took it off and threw it at the smaller woman. She could feel the money in the pocket before she stepped away and began running out of the alley. 

_Take out the tracker._ She thought before she stabbed her left forearm, hissing out in pain as she dug out the little device in her arm and pulled it out of arm and threw it as far as she could. Arm trembling from the sudden wound, eyes widening at the sharp pain in her arm. She was going into shock, she can’t let herself go into shock. She kept counting each breath she took as tore the shirt she was wearing and bandaged her arm. For the first time in five years, she was free. She could feel the nodules on her neck, a reminder but there were more pressing matters to handle.

She managed to find a thrift store in the morning. **What a strange city this was.** She thought, the clerk didn’t even give her a second glance, didn’t call for the authorities. As if it was normal for someone with a wound on the arm to stumble into their store. But she wasn’t one to complain.

She had two hundred dollars give or take. She needed a proper outfit, a hoodie that didn't swallow her whole.She grabbed a pair of jeans that were still a bit too long on her, but she could always cut it with the knife in her pocket, and a black graphic t-shirt with a faded yellow symbol that looked like a W. Along with a hoodie that suited her far better than the one she took off the man in the alleyway and a pair of running shoes. Lifting the hood up to her neck, she quietly gave the clerk forty dollars and swiftly left the premises.

She went to the pharmacy next, grabbing bandages, alcohol, ointment for the wound in her arm, and a sandwich. Another twenty dollars, and now in the pharmacy's bathroom, she began tending to her still open wound. Hissing at the way her skin clung to the dirty fabric of the shirt, cleaning it quickly with the alcohol. A part of her wondered if she should heal herself. She knew she could but also that would take a lot of her energy and in this strange city, she could hardly concentrate enough to heal herself. _This would have to do._ She thought as she applied the ointment on her arm and began wrapping it. She would start healing it later. Once she got her footing on being out of Genesis’ grasp. 

It had now been a few days in this dark and suffocating city. She stared at her reflection in the dirty mirror. She had used the rubber band that was around the bandages to tie her hair. She stared at the two nodules on her neck and glared at them for a long time. Bringing the knife up to her neck, she wanted to pry them out. But as soon as the metal of the knife hit against the nodule, she felt a sharp shock go through her body.Throwing the knife to the side as she felt the pulsating pain throughout her body. Hand trembling from the shock. 

“Damn.” She breathed as she dropped the knife into the sink. She then sank to the ground of the dirty public bathroom that she had called home for the last few days. She rummaged through the plastic bag taking hold of the ham sandwich and a bottle of cola. At the facility, she was given healthy foods,a proper bed, but she would rather have this. She would rather be eating this three dollar meal, sitting next to a toilet, with the only warmth being an old hoodie from Gotham University with it’s faded lettering and small holes. This was far better than what she had at the facility. 

 

 

When she fell asleep, she was in that room with the black bird again. Staring at her, and she almost wanted to thank it. But instead, she simply sat across from it, staring at it quietly. Letting her knees come up to her chest, she let her head fall on top of it tiredly. She hoped she died here. She hoped that if this was her sad life, she could die here. In this dirty bathroom. That would be far better than being caught by them again. In being put back into that room, being called Eve.She’d rather scrap by, eat a mediocre ham sandwich, sleep in a dirty public bathroom than return to that hell. She’d rather be dead. 

“Thank you.” She whispered as she sat in front of the cage. “Thank you for getting me out, sweet bird.” 

There was no response, but she sat in front of it with a small smile. She looked around the blank room, nothing but a caged bird. She wondered if she should free the bird, but then there was no door to release it. And all of this was all in her head, wasn’t it? Pulling her knees up and placing her chin on top, she stared at the bird with a fondness, hoping that she could just stay here forever.

_“I miss you.”_

It was like a faint echo but one that caught her attention. It was the first time she heard the voice and yet it wasn’t. _It was familiar and it made he heart ache._ One that made her chest clench and her breath hitch in the back of her throat. She could hear her heartbeat as she lifted her head, ears itching to hear that voice again. A voice that was so soft laced with a grief, a longing that she felt in her bones. Eyes looking around the room, but to see nothing was the most frustrating part. She felt tears slide down her cheek as she looked around the empty room. 

_“I miss you.”_

It repeated and she clenched the front of the hoodie so tightly her knuckles turned white. She looked around, and without knowing how or when, she whispered back: “I miss you too.” 

She didn’t know who that voice belonged to. She knew it was a man’s. She knew that it was full of longing. She knew that she never wanted to stop hearing his voice.

And then a door appeared, a deep dark blue door that was in such contrast to the rest of the white room. On it was a black bird, but it wasn’t like the one that was in the middle of the room. Approaching it was like sleep walking. She didn’t know how or why her feet were moving, but it did accordingly. 

 

 

It felt like a punch to her gut as she felt herself being pulled by some unknown force, like a hand reaching out and pulling her out of the bathroom, out of the city and into somewhere else. Now standing in a park, looking around at a new city. She wasn’t in the white room.The sun was bright and as she lifted her hand to block give her eyes a break from the harsh light, she squinted and looked around. 

This city felt different. It felt warmer, and it wasn’t just because of the obvious daylight. There was a fondness here that she felt. _This place felt like home._

Keeping her hood up, she walked through the park and felt her eyes wander, her feet moving as if it remembered where to go, as if it remembered this place. Turning the corner here, she knew she would see a little bookstore. Go straight down there, and she would find a coffee shop that sold the best lavender black tea. She didn’t know how she knew, she just let her mind wander like she walking through dream. 

A dream of what it must have looked like to have a home. To have a place filled with wonderful memories rather than the nightmarish ones in Genesis. 

That’s when she felt something off putting. Something that didn’t belong in this wonderful city. Head turning to a building that now was on fire, she felt her feet rush to the scene. The rational part of her brain kept screaming at her not to go towards the accident. The rational side of her kept screaming that if she does, this may be the last taste of freedom she has. That if she goes there, that she’ll get caught by Genesis again. 

But she could feel the fear, the anxiety, the panic. And she couldn’t stay away. As she saw the woman who tried to scream to get the attention of heroes, she put a soft hand on her, taking in her panic and trying to calm her down. The woman’s attention now shifted to look at the smaller girl who looked up at her from the shadows of the hoodie. 

“My child is still in there. I—My baby” She sobbed, not understanding why her heart wasn’t racing out of her chest as it was. Not knowing that the empath that had tried her best to calm the frantic mother, was now running head first into a burning building. 

This was stupid. She was being stupid. She wasn’t a hero. She had cursed abilities that caused more damage than saved people. She thought as she ran through the flames, trying to find the missing child. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, she looked around,she could hear the toddlers cries as it stood in the middle of the burning complex. Quickly scooping up the child, she felt her hands glow to heal the minor burns on the toddler’s arms. 

“I’m here. You’re okay.” She whispered quietly as she looked around and jumped back quickly when a part of the roof crumbled down due to the heat. Her exit now blocked, she looked around, knowing she had to get out as quickly as she could. Seeing the window, she ran without thinking, throwing a black energy sphere towards it to break the glass before she crashed into it. Shielding the child as best she could as she landed and rolled against the ground. Now outside, with the child safe in her arms, she could feel the building like a ticking clock. 

She didn’t have much time and this city would suffer so much more if she didn’t do something. She rolled back up onto her feet, and as if time had slowed down, she quickly lifted her hands and concentrated to try to protect these strangers. These strangers in a city that felt like home. 

She was stupid. she shouldn’t be here. She should be miles away, hiding, not being some sort of hero. She thought as she felt held back the explosion as best she could. A silent scream as she felt the burns against her own skin rebel, telling her she was also in pain.

And then it was over. The explosion had been contained. And she felt her lips curl into a tired smile before she fell to her knees. She was so tired. She felt her own arms tremble at the sudden use of her powers. 

It wasn’t until she felt a different feeling. Something that pulled at her heartstrings like the voice in that room. Turning around swiftly, her eyes locking on one of the masked heroes who looked at her with a look she could not describe. He was a stranger and yet he looked at her as if she had finally returned home after being away for so long. 

“Raven is that you?” 

That name. She never heard it before. Genesis had called her Eve. They had called her Eve. And yet when he said, Raven. It felt so right. It felt so good to be called that. Like the bird that saved her, Raven. But maybe it wasn’t for her. She had never been called that before, so it shouldn’t matter if it felt right. She didn’t want to steal anyone’s precious name like that. 

“Whose Raven?”

 

 

 

And the rest happened so fast. With the way the other heroes looked at her, when Genesis had found her. A part of her cursed herself. If she had just stayed quiet, if she hadn’t been stupid to be a hero. But it was like sleep walking and she almost didn’t know how or when her body moved. 

The burning sensations of the nodules on her neck was another feeling that she did not enjoy feeling. But everything was happening so fast, the screaming, the yelling.She could feel the way the shocks were choking her. She could taste the bile and blood in the back of her throat as she clawed at her throat. It was like whiplash and she didn’t know what was happening. All she knew was that the one that called her Raven was protecting her. The one that she thought would have the prettiest eyes under his mask protected her. Who had tried to get the devices on her neck off, the one that had so much worry in his voice. 

When he said that he couldn’t lose her again. She believed him. When he said he wouldn’t let Genesis take her away, again. She believed him. When she felt the way his forehead felt against hers. The way he held her. She knew she could trust him.

“H-Help Me.” She chocked out as best she could. Whether that be to kill her and finally end this nightmare to save her himself, she needed him to know that she needed help. And even though she was no longer in his arms, even if someone was taking her back to her hell.

“Robin.” That was the bird that was on the door. She could feel herself lose consciousness before the syringe was brought to her neck. But she could hold onto that word.

 _He called her Raven, and for some reason it felt so right.  She liked that. She liked being called Raven._  

 

 

 

She didn’t know how long she had been out for. Maybe it was a few hours. Maybe it was a few days. Maybe it was a few months. She didn't know. All she knew was that she was on a hospital bed, tubes and needles running through her body. She slipped in and out of consciousness several times. She caught bits of information. She had inhaled too much smoke, she had used too much of her abilities. She had endangered herself and this entire organization. She also knew that they kept her under to help facilitate her injuries and to know what they should do about her next. 

The nodules were taken off her, saying that they did too much damage. But it still hurt, it still left scars. She still flinched as if she was being shocked in the few moments when she was allowed to be awake. 

She didn’t know when she heard the crash and the yells. When she heard a frantic voice that yelled out **: I found her!** When she heard in the far distance on if she was dead or not. **She wished.** She didn’t understand what it felt like when they took out the tube that had a sedative.The way the world became a little less cloudy and little brighter. 

And like she was waking up for the first time, eyes opening slowly and blinking to a blurred image of a man holding her. A man whose figure had sharpened and when the haze of slumber had finally gone away, she saw him and he had relieved smile as he looked at down at her. 

“Hey.” He whispered quietly as he held her in his arms. Moving a piece of her hair away from her face. 

Her throat felt dry but she just returned the smile that he gave her. He had saved her. He had kept his promise that she wouldn’t have the be in this hell again. He had come to hell for her to save her. And for some reason a part of her felt like this wasn’t his first time. 

“I missed you.” He said as he softly pressed his lips against her forehead, she could feel the tears that fell from his eyes land softly on her cheek. He was crying for her? He had missed her?He had risked his life to come here. He had saved her. 

“Let’s go home.” He said before his teammate had helped her on his back. Now being carried on his back, she looked at his features, still wearing a mask and yet, she could trace out what his eyes must have looked like. Staring at it like a dream that became a reality. 

“M-my—“Her voice cracked at the lack of use as she looked at him with a furrowed brow. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder as she looked at him. “Name.” she mouthed the last word, apologetic for not being able to speak to him. 

“Raven. Your name is Raven. And I'm finally bringing you back home." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically Raven is a few years younger than she would have been if she didn't die. If that makes sense with all the age/time skips. 
> 
> Please Leave Kudos/Comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Please Comment or Leave Kudos. Especially since this piece is a bit more experimental. I already have the next chapter briefly outlined, with a few lines here and there, but I'd really like to see feedback of this chapter so I can add and adjust to how readers are reacting to this piece.


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